Rohit Sharma's strong back-foot play makes him an exciting selection for the Australia Test series

The debate over the selection of the Indian squad for the upcoming Australia Test series may rage on for a long time to come. Every selection and non-selection will be discussed threadbare by experts and fans alike, in TV studios and drawing rooms in the days ahead.

This, after all, has the potential to be a watershed moment in Indian cricket history with India having the once-in-a-life time opportunity of winning their first Test series Down Under.

But among all the selections, the selection of Rohit Sharma in the squad is the most significant one. One may of course justifiably feel bad for Karun Nair, whose place Rohit seems to have apparently taken in the squad. But let’s face the truth: in sheer cricketing ability, there is absolutely no comparison between the two.

Rohit Sharma is probably the most naturally gifted batsman of this generation, though he is nowhere as consistent as Virat Kohli, especially in the Test format. A look at Rohit’s Test records will show that he has actually done pretty well in India and has struggled abroad.

He especially struggles a bit against the swinging balls, such as the swing-friendly conditions found in England and New Zealand. In Australia, the pitches will be fast and bouncy, but there won’t be much of a swing. Hence his selection makes a lot of sense. But that’s not the only reason.

Chief Selector MSK Prasad pointed at Rohit Sharma’s excellent back foot game as prime reason for his selection. He is absolutely bang on target this time. The Australian pitches offer pace and bounce, and to succeed in those conditions, one needs to be a good back foot player. If one possesses good cross-batted shots such as pulls and hooks, then they will come in handy in scoring at a fast clip even in Test matches.

Rohit's solid back foot game and ability to play cross-batted shots will come in handy in Australian conditions

Rohit has traditionally scored a high percentage of all his international runs, albeit in shorter formats of the game, through pulls and hooks. This way, he is very different from most other Indian batsmen to whom playing cross-batted shots do not come naturally.

His selection in the team is a warning signal to Ajinkya Rahane that he cannot afford to continue with his recent spate of poor form in Test cricket. Similarly, if India decide to go with six batsmen, Hanuman Vihari will be in direct contest with Rohit for the number six slot. In fact, if Rohit does well in the warm up matches, there is every possibility that Rohit may even get a nod ahead of Vihari.

If Rohit can replicate, even partially, the astounding success he has achieved in ODI cricket, he will prove to be a solid middle order Test batsman for India for years to come. There is no reason why a player of such remarkable quality and pedigree cannot be a success story in the longer format of the game.

Kudos to the selectors for giving one of the most naturally gifted batsmen of our times another chance at redemption.